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Get ready to preach or anybody here know when you're studying and you're wonder what message Jesus would probably bring to us as a people like he would he preached back in his day anyone any had messages like he would have themes topics and sermons like any preach he would like them out the Sermon on the Mount. You know you covered things and all of Jesus was going to preach in my church. What message would he bring up that's a good question for a pastor to ask basically every time before you or anybody elders before you're going to preach what would Jesus bring and so I have particular I was laboring over that actually praying and thinking about that and one kind of mine and and through some studies I will share with you that one today but I got to start off in order for you to understand the message with a little bit of history. Story for my for my life my background. Some of you may read in the brochure or whatever I did become a Christian too I was twenty two. So not much different than those people that you saw about there in Iraq as far as I was I had opportunities I get so you could say the opening was there but never was a Christian my family it wasn't a Christian family. Although the very interesting thing was my parents and my family were more Christian than many Christians that I run into today more Godly I guess you could say many ways than many ads in this I run into today and I don't mean to say that in a condescending way it just happens to be that way when you're a pastor or when you're an elder when you're anybody that visits people you recognize in their homes whether or not they're really living the Christian walk or not and you may see us being judge mental but you know the facts are facts you know them by their fruits right. But let me give you a little bit of background. My parents I don't have one recollects run recollection and ever of them arguing and fighting. Now imagine that growing up in a heathen home number one one time record. Recollecting them arguing and fighting now our parents own their own business growing up as a heating and air conditioning company and they had times even up to like thirteen employees and quite a few employees going working for them and then the summer months when I wasn't in school my brother and I and that's what we were we worked for them. Right and I was what you call a gopher. If you if you're familiar with that. They would put me and then a summertime with one of the service guys and he would be up on top of a roof somewhere and downtown. You know Portsmouth Ohio at times right. And I would be running up down the ladder bring him tools or he would be crawling under a house and I would call him back under the house bringing tools back and forth just whatever they needed me to do and it was interesting. With all that happened. I didn't really learn to appreciate into I become a parent myself. My dad my mom to protect my dad was it seemed like he was at every single ball game we ever had practices when he could be like how in the world did you run your own business and was always involved in your kids' lives. I mean I can remember my my parents my mind my dad mom both they would sometimes go pick up other kids to take them to practice like their parents were home when my parents be picking them up to take them to the practices or whatever and things like that and so I can remember these things going on and some of these things that I learned appreciate it just was part of life until later on in life but I can remember I can remember distinctly more than one time at a supper table mom and dad talking business or something like that talking about somebody that messed them over and more than one occasion it was a Christian that messed them over and they would talk about you know claims to be this Christian thing and basically my dad particularly wanted nothing to do with Christianity whatsoever. Nothing and he was really really bothered by Christians and but I want to give you little bit of background. He thought they were the most part the ones he knew were quite immoral and this is I'm just sharing with you from my experience in that it's hard to argue with that it's just experience. And I want to give you the kind of idea of what my parents were like what my what how what shaped my worldview. If you will my what was shaped. One evening we were sitting at a separate table. I was about a freshman in high school and my my brother would been then a junior in high school and my sister would still be. I guess in the seventh grade and we were two years difference between us there one so seven. Yeah I'd be right. Anyway. And we begin to tell them where we were living at just up the street from where we were at there was a brother and sister sister was my age and school brother was a year older than me so he was between my brother myself and their dad was on death row in prison down in Tennessee he'd killed somebody when they were very little so they really didn't know their dad and their mom who was receiving government assistance had run off with money and was you know doing drugs or whatever doing her thing and they were by themselves out there in this house and really worried because you know they they didn't know what was going to happen to them you know like they didn't want to be taken away and be separated. My dad got up from the supper table you ever notice how sometimes when something happens in your life you remember exactly every detail we were having spaghetti for supper and it's funny how at time I still remember that right. But he gets up from the supper table and he goes out to these this walks out the road you walk down the road and go to this house and knocks on the door and tells us young girl to come out I'll say supper with us that night that night so they come over and as they were eating. My dad was asking them questions and find out their story and the home we were living in my parents had just built it was an it was a relatively new home at the time in just a few years old but the interesting thing was it wasn't a big home we had a nice big family room and then a little living room that we didn't use because we had the nice big family room right and brother and I shared a bedroom my sister had her own bedroom and my parents shared a bedroom right. And that's three bedrooms. By the end of that evening I had two brothers and sisters my dad decided mom decided that rather than let these kids maybe go to foster care and school now on the run. They said we're going to take them and they took them in and treated them like their own children for the next like three or four years until he was away and going to high school and going to college and things like that. Never once they've done it. You know kind of quietly then tell everybody about everything because you know you don't want state get involved all that kind of nonsense you have to deal with and so literally fed them clothed them. The little living room that was nicely set up or whatever that was just kind of a show grooming whatever. That became the boy's bedroom. The girl moved in with my sister and her bedroom and they took care of them like they were their own kids for the next three years. And what's interesting was later on when I start thinking about this I know very few Christian families even now that make a sacrifice like that and so that was my example of what might lie in other words my worldview how health things should be all right. And remember one time in particular there was a guy that worked for my parents that he was a preacher and I was working with him as the gopher and One Day One afternoon we went to his house stop by his house to eat lunch and so after a lunch there it was there it is house I started playing ping pong with his kids and we played I played for like an hour and a half two hours and we were there for like like around two hours or whatever and so at the end of the week as I filled out my time card to turn in my mom's wanted done the book the book keeping your the all the stuff right. So I put on there that day that I only had the had a two hour lunch you know that my friends what do you think that the Christian fellow pastor guy put on his time card for that day how much time you have for lunch you understand where I'm going with this and my parents never said anything my dad just chalk set up in his mind is that's how Christians are OK and as a matter of fact when I became a Christian I have to confess I believe it was one of the most disappointing things that I'd ever done and my dad was concerned. Interestingly enough to before becoming a Christian I never got into the drinking and drugs and anything like that at all and it's interesting is why is because I was afraid it would disappoint my dad so that was and that was my life growing up right. And so it was kind of interesting to me. You know becoming a Christian if I didn't have to give up another the none of the baggage Usually that comes along. You know I'm talking I don't have that baggage because the relationship I had and the respect I had for my parents and in particular my dad I guess you'd say I mean honestly I was when it when it when it come to the idea of understanding God is my Heavenly Father. There was never a little istic that thought of our mind and I've done things if I thought it made me that happy to jump off the house I'd jump off the house thing you know. And so it's fascinating about that to me as is whenever it comes to serving God and people send legalistic for wanting this to do what he says it's like they don't understand you know I didn't get that the love me I did because of the way he what I want to hear knew that he loved me but I wanted him to I just love to hear him brag on me you know read a story in job or God brags on Joe as like yeah that's it I want God to brag on me. That's my that's my guy right there look at him you know and that's what I kind of I understood that relationship to a certain degree. So I had to give that to you in order to get to the rest of the story. Let's go to our Bible Now that was the foundation. Let's go to Matthew chapter twenty three for a moment and again of the text the theme text that the theme text message today. You see in the title is a little leaven and five nine it says a little leaven leavens the whole loan you know that works right a little bit eleven and the whole thing right. So go with me now to Matthew chapter twenty three now and I just said that in passing a little level eleven eleven the whole lot in passing but that's an important thing for you to hear though I mean don't forget that point right now. Matthew twenty three starting in verse one it says Jesus spake to the multitude and his disciples saying the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses to see all Therefore whatsoever they tell you to do to observe observe and do it. But do you not after their works for they say and do not OK will leave it right there for a moment and understand just very simply very plainly Jesus says simply what they are telling you is right but they're not following it. Now we have a term for that. What is that hypocrisy is exactly right exactly right hypocrisy now. Now I want you to go with me that back to Matthew Chapter sixteen for a moment Matthew Chapter sixteen and Jesus once again speaking to the disciples and it's almost contradictory to what we just read as we'll see in this a moment some of the same it will seem almost contradictory to he says do whatever they tell you to do right. And you'll see one talking about in a couple verses later but in Matthew sixteen verse five. It says. And when the disciples were come to the other side they forgot to bring bread and Jesus said to them take heed and be aware of the leaven of the fairest seas. And the sad you sees and he reasoned among themselves saying it was because we forgot to bring bread and when Jesus perceive that they saw what they said. He said Oh you little faith. Why do you reason among yourselves because we brought no bread do you not understand me to remember the five loaves and the five thousand and how many baskets you took up. Neither the seven loaves and the four thousand how many baskets you took up. He's like Do you really think I'm concerned about bread here. Like I can create bread out of nothing right. And so he goes on and says How is it that you do not understand I speak not to you concerning bread but you should be aware of the level of the ferrous and said You see it now says this in verse twelve then understood they how you made them but were not of the leaven of bread but of the Dr and singular doctrine of the fairest seas and the Sadducees But as you read down through their never say it just simply says that they they learned that Jesus was talking about the Dr and singular of the fair season the Sadducees when he was talking about leaven and then it goes on and so I really I can recall reading this a time so what is the celeb and what is this Dr and you know maybe maybe it's the doctrine of the fair season the Saudis he's have about you should eat unclean foods Jesus says Be aware that doctrine right. No no no I may be where the doctrine of keeping the seventh day sabbath you shouldn't do that. But remember it's in the now of course that's not the case either right. But if you think resting in. You remember he said in Matthew chapter twenty three whatever they teach whatever doctrines are your to follow them and use the plural sense doctrines. You know whatever they're saying you know that's what you should do but here he says one bit here in this particular one this doctor and he says be aware of it so they're asked about it the rest of and the least one doctor and one thing that they were teaching that was a major problem. Right well let's find out what it is with me to Luke Chapter twelve. Matthew Mark and Luke when I come across this by the way when you see where this goes. This is the message that God has to Laodicea I think one day in heaven. I'm well ask God if I can have a shirt that says I survived Laodicea. I mean by get through this I mean just below to say you need you need there you could crown is great with a T. shirt. I survive Laodicea right now I want you the most here and Luke Chapter twelve first one it says this In the mean time they were gathered together and they were all the numerable multitude of people in so much that they trode upon one another and he began to say unto His disciples first of all be aware of the leaven there it is the leaven on the fair seas which is hypocrisy. So Jesus was warning us disciples about this doctrine of hypocrisy. Now in you look at the wording is everyone understand what a hypocrite is. Right. It actually the literal meaning here is a religious actor or an actor and as a matter fact I looked it up and I don't I can't speak Greek or maybe I get Dr Dr vying to come up here for me but who creases in my saying that right close enough right who creases and it means to be acting at the actual part play a part or pretend. So he said the doctor in the fairy sees that God Jesus is warning us about not taking part of the doctrine is the doctrine of playing a part and acting like you're Christian you really are not acting like you're a follower of God but inside you're really not to me that was very fascinating to think about. I wonder if he would preach the same message today from our pope it. You know I get I think back about you know my family time and all the ones claiming to be a Christian are the ones that messing my my parents over like to have people steal from the company different things like that and it always was the Christians one the loud mouth and you know the ones like like myself oftentimes that not the other would think myself a hypocrite the one that likes to tell and share things. These are the ones that oftentimes done them wrong right and the scribes and Pharisees now will go back to Matthew twenty three hundred a few moments but the idea was they were religious actors they were faking and they weren't really following as they said they were he said do as they say not as they do it's interesting though that Jesus had to point this out. In other words they were such good actors that even the people like his disciples and others didn't know they were acting remember remember there in Matthew chapter five verse twenty one on the Sermon on the mount when Jesus says. To speak speaking the disciples and he says and the people there unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees your are lost. I'm paraphrasing somewhat there that's the book of Philip who says you're not into the kingdom of heaven. You'll be lost in the fires of hell if you will unless your righteousness exceeds that of scribes and Pharisees and I can I can almost picture myself being a disciple hearing Jesus say that so well forget this I'm going fission. Right I mean because my view and the view of the disciples in the view of the people the people that were going to heaven where the scribes and pharisees they were so righteous. I mean they would take men. Anderson Cooper and they would take their little tea leaves and they would chop them up and they would get a tent and they would pay the tithe on it right into the very detail they won't go on the street. They'd find a dollar bill they would pick it up and he would hold up and say look everybody I found a dollar bill. I'm going to go put a dime in the offering plate right make sure they were so specific that every single thing they done everything exactly right. They ate right. They spoke right. They lived right. They went to church on the right day they dressed right. They had it all together and if you and I looked at them you would say this person is on a fast track to heaven. He's If he's not going to be there. Nobody is and Jesus comes along and says to you in lest your righteousness exceeds there's your last calls. How would you feel. You know here's how I picture myself I'll make it modern day I'm going to pick the most righteous person I can think of and Jesus telling me I've got to exceed their righteousness and he has AA I just think it's a people you know I like to throw out some names that people really appreciate like like The Bachelor or you know. I'll call you know just pick some names out of some people you think of you know like think think of my wife or something like that you know if I got it I could be more righteous than her in order to go to heaven. You know and I can imagine what the disciples how they must've felt like I can't get there give up but then Jesus says something very interesting later on when you give the Matthew chapter twenty three if you'll turn over there with me just for a moment Matthew chapter twenty three. What a relief this must be living to the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees because Jesus tells you why and that's an easy thing to do back to Matthew chapter twenty three. And I'm going to pick it up now in verse four they the described in fair seas bind heavy burdens and grevious to be born and lay them upon me and shoulders but they themselves will not move it with one of their fingers but all their works they do to be seen him him. They make broad their for lack the reasoning. Enlarge the borders of their garments they love the most rooms of the feast in the chief seats in the synagogue and it is leading up to something he says their big showman. They're good at putting on a show right. Stand up front preach powerfully do great things the greetings in the marketplace and they love to be called Rabbi Rabbi but ye be not called rabbi for one is your master even Christ's and all of your brothers call no man on earth your father for one is your father that sent to heaven. Neither be called masters for one is your master that is Christ but he that is greatest among you shall be a servant. So it's interesting cause Jesus was the greatest servant he's the greatest one that ever lived right. Another seven of the time and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that shall be humble and exalted but here it is Wodi you scribes and pharisees you religious actors you hypocrites. Now imagine standing there in the middle that sermon and hearing that hearing Jesus publicly call out Doug bachelor. You know that I know God bachelor great man I'm sure. Right but I mean imagine him calling out whoever you see as the most holy person and says You're nothing but a religious actor for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against man for you you're not going there yourself and neither do you suffer them or allow them to go in that are entering woe to you scribes and pharisees you hypocrites for you devour widows' houses and for a pretense to make a long prayer. Therefore you shall receive the greater damnation straight up in front of everybody calling these men religious actors calling them hypocrites. So when Jesus says your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. It's like OK that's not so bad now is it because they weren't really righteous at all they were hypocrites and didn't. And then here. I like that in Matthew chapter seven verse fifteen when when Jesus made the statement about Be ware of these false prophets come on you because they were in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves What is that hypocrite my friends I'll tell you something very interesting you read through the New Testament particularly and you want to find the largest dose of hypocrisy as far as being addressed in one way or another than you do. I mean it's like that's that's the main burden that God has Don't be a hypocrite be who you are don't put on a show don't be fakin And so it's interesting how God lays this out all through the particular the New Testament I thought was Jesus going to come and preach in my church when he called me out. I would like to think not I would like you know I live who I am and who I am and I am grateful to the huge degree values I got two kids my daughter's twenty My son is seventeen. My wife I won't tell your age. I learned a lot in my. My forty four years but they'll tell you on the same person with faults and defects. But loving Jesus and the same person here standing before use I am in the home and I can say that with a clear conscience because I love and serve Jesus and will tell you a story. I can't appreciate this story. It's called story but after I've been administering some time. I had some work I was doing I was having some problems with I had got carpal tunnel and different things you know and it went away when I became a cop order and for a couple years and we had kids coming along and I couldn't really afford to keep going on like that I mean long story but I want to tell you a story about. I was I was cut actually I was canvassing their house came into northern Kentucky by Scotia Cincinnati Covington area and. If you all know how that works or when the recorder is here I'm I'm hoping you are not OK about it as I write so you might not know but you know raise your hand anyway it's OK But as we go around selling the blue books and the other administratively go around that right so I got an Elite Card in the mail and I loved it when I would get League cards but I learned to to read them and then what I would do is kind of a fun game. I would always do as I would read the lead card the name the address the phone number you know everything on there and they'd be interested in the Bible story books or whatever and I would try to picture what the person was going to look like what their house was like. And whether or not they had kids I tried to picture that just based on the handwriting things like that and by the way I get some testimony from called porters how you can get really good at that. OK so so it has a big loopy handwriting. And it gives the phone number email address. It's a woman right and they the name is a woman right. So how old are they probably mid thirty's loopy handwriting right. Email Address means that they have computers and things like I mean you understand what I'm going with this right now and you can you can kind of start putting things together but anyway I had this lead. And it was nice loopy handwriting. Everything was filled out perfectly and and it just it just read to me young mother with kids problem with a little bit of money from the address in the area because you can look it up on there and so I pictured this woman mid thirty's long brown hair you know and I just had his picture of this person I always try to do that just so I could see if I was right. So I'm driving out to the country and I come up to this house long paved driveway with kitty litter all over what kitty litter is as kids toys right and tells you that you're going to the right house right. The Bible story books and so I pull up this long paved driveway What does paved driveway tell you. Yeah there's some money here so they can afford to buy the books right. I mean is I maybe I'm wrong in my judging and things like that you shouldn't do things that way but you know if that your living is kind of hopeful when you know that they're going to have some money to buy the books if they want them right. And so I went up the driveway and knocked on the door and this thirty something brown haired long girl answered the door of like one. Hi I'm Philip and I'm with a bottle story company and she invites me right. Oh yeah I remember that card come on in so I come in and I want to illustrate this by sitting so I sit down here she says down across from me. She's got this like eight year old boy one year old boy he sits right next to her and he's a perfect little gentleman and he takes the Bible story book he starts to look through a little bit you know and start to talk to the mother a little bit and I hear someone coming in the back door like some wrestling coming and she goes oh no it's my husband. Now my friends when you're alone home with a thirty year old woman and you know sitting in her house and she says Oh my husband's home that's one thing but when she has all that's my husband that makes your heart beat a little bit differently. Right. You know it's like there's not a it's not a like she wasn't happy about her husband coming home or whatever. Right. So he comes in the door. I mean when he comes in. I jump up and say Hi I'm Philip with a Bible story company and he says What is this and he says to her. You don't need is more Bible garbage in a start. I'm can't really work as there's a lot of vulgar language in it so I'm not going to hear all that with you this morning but it was basically along these lines. He says this. He says to the woman his wife your Roman Catholic for crying out loud. You only knows Bible story stuff in the Bible. Stuff he says he says to her. I'm going to how is it all you have to do all you have to do that goes is just do it live your life do what do you want to do. Then go down there are going to be fine and then after he says to her. He says I need to be a lot more like my dad he says I'm going to take that T.V. and all this garbage on theirs throw it out the yard get rid of it and that I've had this headache anymore and man stomps out. So much for the pay driveway. I said oh I'm sorry I took a Bible story book that and everything. I said there and I said you know we do have free Bible studies I'd like to offer you know start feeling about Jesus. I hope you'll forgive my husband. So he was raised the Seventh Day Adventists had a really bad childhood my heart sunk my palms started sweating. And I'm like oh God please don't let her ask me but I couldn't believe what I was saying now for I was fairly still news and then a set a time. Right. I was and so I'm thinking this isn't been my experience. And so I fill out the Bible Study Card and he starts in a man comes back indoors and comes back into I'm thinking right immediately it's like oh wait a minute I grab the desired ages and he comes in a kind of hold up there thinking maybe he would see it and you know he looked at it and he stumped. He said a few more things and kind of want to get out there in a hurry kind of what he was talking about and start back out then you recognize the books. So I put my stuff together I prayed with a woman left of the bible studies and I left and I had a lot of work to do that day and I couldn't do anything else I was so disturbed I was I was just couldn't believe. I'm going through is it really is this really what the church is about. I mean because I've heard about television and I'm thinking these things my mind you know going on in it but it's not been my experience this has been my experience you know and so I'm struggling with my own. Arsenal like it might in the right place you know get it this is right and and so with anyway the word happy to work through that but I want to share something with you now let's back up. Let's back up and play detective you know like to play detective. Here we go. What do we know about that young man the man that was the husband. We know he was Ray Seventh-Day Adventists we know is a miserable childhood and we can deduce a few things like for instance at one time in his life his dad wasn't on the T.V. in a few things out in the yard right now my friends if you can't control the T.V. you should get rid of it but this puppy appropriate way. That's not right now and so I could not on the try to picture let's back up the Sabbath morning fifteen twenty years earlier. Can we do that let's say that time for savvy school so dad goes into bedrooms they flips on the lights tells the son daughter got a bad temper church Come on get up get ready. And so I can picture daughter coming in there dressed up for church and that morning and and dad yelling at her saying No I told you're not wearing that dress is too short to go back in and change. Honey. Why did you let her mother's clothes anyway what do you mean by these things are you can imagine it was a bad experience wasn't and so and then the young man gets up and they get in the car and they're on their way to church together and on the way to church dad is yelling at the kids maybe perhaps saying things like Hey listen we got there today. You better behave yourself if your status quo teacher says you did anything like like you did last week and you don't behave yourself at potluck you had only get home all the stuff going on you're laughing. Shame on you know just kidding it fair to the parent little kids are laughing cynics are parents right and God forbid any of us it anyway I was I got to thinking about this like wow this must have taken place somewhere some way or another had a bad experience so look. Picture this with me they get to church they get to church the kids are in a back seat the car on the way in they're like Can't wait to get older. And so that they get to church and they go in that they get last little argument they get out of the car they walk up to the church door they open the front door and and dad walks in happy sad all Danielle it's so good to see you and be in the House of Lords mourning God bless you and the kids are like that dirty. Lying hypocrite and I can picture dad getting up in the puppet. He's preaching that Sabbath Perhaps now I know this is my magination But something happened here right that get the guy is not like he is incidentally isn't it interesting. Just a little detour here isn't it interesting that in his view perhaps marrying the Roman Catholic was a bigot as parents. I don't mean to be I mean I hope there's another maybe a mix multitude here but try to understand this guy is like he's harassing and he knows how to harass his wife doesn't the over her religion how terrible that is. And so that's up in the public and he says Oh happy Sabbath everybody my kid sitting on the front row what a wonderful sabbath that is and you know our family we this we go and tell you so there would have a message today on the other things the pure things we should only put before our eyes and you know what in our house we got rid of T.V. did we kids. Now this week we got rid that T.V. Maybe you should get rid of T.V. too. Then maybe your kids will grow up and be like my kids I don't over exaggerating a good bit there right but but you know people say that without saying it. You know I'm saying what about that like they they don't say it exactly like that but they'll put it in that in the light of if your kids and your family isn't right then look at mine right. And it's a tragedy any time any of our kids leave the church my friends. It is entirely about turns a back on crisis a tragedy and I'm not going to stand here and say before it before I get the rest is that it's that it's your fault if your kids leave don't ever feel that burden and less it is but you can repent. But anytime somebody says children God forbid my kids ever leave the church and leave the faith leave God. That it be my fault and I God forbid they ever leave but if but if they would I would want to be my fault you follow that and if I found out that it was I would all would love to think that I would be willing to repent and ask my kids for forgiveness. Sometimes we get more and more. Concerned about being right than we are about getting to the kingdom of God. And so and so I can picture this guy in a goes on he preaches a sermon about how they do T.V. out the yard everything and they're all fast for just about ten years later after his son is married often his daughters out the house and perhaps the guys then in the same pub and saying My kids are out of church. I can't help but think if we'd had better Pathfinder club more stuff and Sabbath school they'd still be here. No friends no that's not why they're not here. They're not here because we are sometimes scribes and Pharisees. Sometimes we put on a good show for one another and man some of us are very good actors I can tell you that. And so I know that some of us are very good actors because of I've seen as an action and then I've seen you in the other action. Myself I've seen it take place. I'm not talking about us making mistakes my friends I'm talking about is living a double lifestyle though what Jesus called out what the scribes and Pharisees and he told them straight up. Listen. These are the only people that Jesus told straight up. You won't be in heaven. These are that he didn't tell the prostitute you will be in heaven. He told the religious actors. You won't be there. Because you're causing more people to be lost then the prostitutes. Don't know how the rest of that story turned out. I'm going to go back to Luke Chapter twelve for a moment. That's sad story though in that it will play out a little bit more what it is a read something back into the Bible. Luke Chapter twelve verse we read verse one it will level of hypocrisy verse two says. Now listen to this verse two Don't miss this my friends. There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed. Neither hidden that shall not be unite made known Therefore whatsoever you speak in darkness shall be heard in the light that which you have spoken and year shall be proclaim from the housetop In other words my friends Jesus telling us very plainly hypocrisy may work here. We may put on a very good show and are my thinking on the fast track to heaven but my friends if you are living a double life. If you're living at hip hop the hypocritical lifestyle. If you aren't really living the life you say you are as a Christian you are a lost person and one day it will be revealed among everybody but you know the best way to keep that covered up is to repent for it now. Why appreciated this as I read down through that and I say says nothing we cover that won't be uncovered and then remember how many times in the Bible like ROOM. Remember that in the days of Noah. I was of the god solid that we can as a man was only evil in the thought of the intent of it as of his heart was only evil continually he's looking on the inside all the time right I'll do that I would find that the quadriplegic is brought before Jesus and the Bible says Jesus knowing the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees says Why do you think such things in your heart. He knows exactly what you're thinking he knows exactly how you are it's an amazing thing. What they do they in a time of Christ are standing before the eye of our missions and that's how you call them hypocrites my friends. Things have not changed you and I are standing in the eyes of omniscience all knowing God we can't hide anything that's why I appreciate David in the Psalms that Psalm one thirty nine verse twenty four search me or God and try and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there's any way could weigh in and lead me to the way of everlasting. Lord. I can't hide anything from you and to try to steer Tom First Corinthians four five therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. Nothing that's kind of scary a member of the telling people sometimes you know you should be doing that God knows my heart but it doesn't to scare you. You know as a matter of fact. The Bible part is pretty clear that hypocrisy is going to be on the marks of God's last a church. That number set another way the identifying marks of the last days. I mean the lasting church necessarily the last days and in other words if you think about it in second Timothy three one through five it and I'm going go to verse five there he says they have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof in other words the form of godliness means they look Godly but in reality they are serving the devil. That's what he says is going on that's that's a warning bell he says in the last days it'll be like this many lovers of themselves and all these kind of things and you go through that scenario and it brings into the church by the way. Let me go and get their second Timothy I'm going to I'm going read that second term I think is like a little bit time here in chapter three and it's interesting how he brings this out because as you read it. He's like well we've always had this but my friends. He's talking about in the church in the time calls writing this these things are going on in the church because to become a Christian in that day was a lot like living in northern Iraq today becoming a Christian right it was dangerous. So you don't become a Christian and then be like this but in the last days he says they'll be Christians and they'll be like this and he says this now in the last days dangerous times will come perilous times dangerous. What makes them so perilous so dangerous may be lovers of themselves or their lovers themselves in his day. You better believe they were but not in the church they were sacrificing themselves to serve others lovers themselves coaches boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents on them thankful unholy without natural affection truce breakers false accusers incontinent fierce this spies or. Those that are good. How about that. You know that means right people that are doing right doing good people that are doing that they despise them all they think they're better than us what do you think that's coming from what tells you because it says they are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God These people love God if you're lovers or pleasure more than lovers of God are you lovers of God. Yes it says. Murder then love is a God In other words I know it's kind of trick question why ask it but it says they love pleasure. More than God. So these are claiming to be God lovers right so this list that is given here is talking about people who are claiming to be following Jesus and then it says they have the form of godliness they look Christian they look Godly but they deny the power thereof from such turn away in other words their lives are lived by the power of Christ the instead of getting victory they hide their sins they think that they are righteous but this is self-righteousness and my friends I'm convinced that this is the message to the Laodicean church if you turn there with me now the Revelation Chapter three. I used to struggle with this text in Revelation Chapter three trying to understand I've heard many of the people in our church explain it many different ways like cold is good pot is good and lukewarm is the only part bad in a herbal cold is bad and you know what I'm talking about like a lukewarm in thing and I want to read it here and then I'll explain to you how the Lord gave me an understanding of this text and I think it's very fitting for how we finish today in Revelation chapter three verse fourteen it says into the chair and will the church of Laodicea write these things say if the Amen the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God to know your works that you neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot so because you're a lukewarm and either cold or hot you make me sick. I would puke spew out my mouth and I read that I used to think like I can understand hot. And that's not only hot right on fire for cripes right. And I can see the lukewarm is it going to mean that once the cold and so I've heard people explain it nothing or cold is obviously people that are just lost and they know what there is going that direction. Why would God want you to be cold and just lost or hot or on fire but he hates lukewarm it seems like he would take cold too. And there's something happen in my life that help me to understand this Tex I think it'll help us right now too as we're coming to the conclusion here let me tell you the rest of the story. After I graduated high school my plans were to my brother not going to take on my parents' business I have not I mean having their commission company have established way that my parents had some financial trouble some things I didn't understand when I first started business up and it cost them in the long run a loss for business and so I graduated high school and and. By the way we were racing motor car also my brother and I both like racing like semiprofessional mean we've been a class if you know what that is right and I say and when I was a senior in high school I qualified for the amateur nationals and in the nation in one twenty five C. class down the road Lynn So I mean I was that's why they hold the Nationals at by the way so I was kind of a goal of like working in racing motocross I had thirteen broken bones to prove it nine screws and a metal plate a metal plate and so I was kind of think along those lines but when they lost their business and I graduated high school I got to do something I had this like thing come in the mail that said to your electronics degree down in Lexington Kentucky and I'll go do that on the fly over there right. And so I decided what I would do and I graduated high school and. When you do when you graduate high school June. Yeah. By the end of July I was in Lexington starting the school I mean it's like a. Eighteen years old graduate high school next month I go I leave home I'm never home since as far as moving back right. And so I go down there but my my dad and I and we still had this really good relationship and things you know and he start his health started kind of going a little bit better start having heart problems and things like that sometimes. And when I would get time to come home. My dad was a pilot I want to. And so I was I was going to school full time working full time and taking flying lessons spare minute I had I was actually not eating so I'd have money to fly. Yeah. Graham crackers and jelly I was living off of them because you can eat that's cheap that's cheap food I'll tell you and so I but I was studying every chance I got and I so I paid for and worked during that two years I was going to school and I would come home on the weekends every chance I got like I sometimes I got home on Saturday night take flying lessons on Sunday because the I want to port Portsmouth Ohio Portsmouth airport right. That's right to my flying lessons and my dad knew the instructor there in everything so I would go there drive home two and a half hours or whatever Take Saturday night take lessons on Sunday drive home Sunday school money back to work all week right and I was doing this every week every week every week and building on time and spending time with my dad you know but he got into this time he started having some health problems got into fishing and stuff a little bit too which he never fished growing up and I love fishing. So I got to spend that time with my dad during those years. So anyway. Short of the story was it was a long hard. I've rented this little girl. She's that administers. And she was winning me over and and I was becoming a Christian. And so on home visit my dad and he just like whatever you know about things and. One day one day. I was I was with the girls dating we would come out of Wal-Mart and I got a cell phone call by the way it was one of the cell phones where you do this. You've seen them for like the ones that open it up and I said as far as my dad calling us like oh he must've caught a fish something was to happen you know go tell me about it hello. And for the first time in my life my dad cry. I never had a member of ever see my dad cry ever. And he says your mom I'm thinking she's dead. I mean you know you might have a real quickly. Because my dad doesn't cry right left me. That was worse. I mean when he said. Your mom left me it was it was like if he said she died that would him better. And I'm like there is no one I mean I've got clammy you got like like fill in second as I will what happened and and so he began to tell me see my parents lost their business they weren't quite ready to have enough stuff to say they could fully retire so they had both is kind of like had some money coming in it is them part time kind of stuff my dad worked at the airport and you know hung out their port filled up airplanes just make some money and my mom she said she had all these years of bookkeeping or think she she was working at Borden's ice cream place important Ohio and she was in the office doing a secretary work and stuff and she would give the truck drivers their orders and things like that as they come in and stuff. Well there was a particular Pentecostal preacher guy. There is a truck driver that took a liking to my mom and she and he was married and you know she had an affair with a guy and decided that she was the only dad for this guy and dad said I'm going to kill him and I said I think you probably should. I wasn't converted. I was devastated. Like how dare somebody do this he could've killed my mom I would be so upset and. So my dad was just I mean this was farthest thing from any of our minds this Christian pastor guy like my mom and my mom has a responsibility in this as well you know. And so my dad was trying to find the got to kill him and my brother and I went home. He lived down in Lexington areas where we went home and tried to see what we could do and talking to my dad he was very upset and and it was pretty serious for a little while and you know I think about that even to this very day you know when I hear people talking about the Vorse and and like they find the girlfriend or boyfriend or something and they're married as like. It's a matter with you it's the most and you know God can forgive anything. My friend as the most selfish. And evil thing I think you can do is a family member. I mean one of those things anyway. And so when I heard about this and that I had actually had some friends and I you know these people are all dead and all these but his friends are all divs and I can tell you about this but they this guy to my truck. Sometime matches haven't got burned up in the parking lot and in the night and they got a new one to put out there and they got burned up a few weeks after that I understand some of the friends I guess and no one took care of it it just happened accidentally That was the story and my dad actually went to found the guy in a parking lot and they tried to get in get out his truck in the it was it was serious stuff I mean that was you talk about painful and anyway the guy really didn't want my mom died then a few times in the past they knew you know church of about Grace does come back we forgive you. So he's back in the church even now. And so my dad and mom got work things out there all my mom. Now her boyfriend and wonder after all he wanted his family and all that so. My mom and dad worked things out why that he's never the same. You know I mean like literally we would be sitting on the front porch Sometimes I go to visit would be sitting on the front porch and ice cream truck would go up the highway and he would look out there right. He never was the same I mean he was always different after this right always different and so two years goes by get married and everything like that it seems like. But he's still not quite there to hold together you know he has grandkids now and and so everything is going to working out pretty well and. I started fishing a lot with my dad I got home on weekends I got a chance some time on Sundays and we go fishing or whatever and spend some time together and and I remember one time I mean the van with a main waterway going fishing and I'm sitting there in the passenger seat under kind of messing around and I flip open the glove box and at George Jones you know George Jones is a gospel plate. Country music singer but it's a gospel tape flop sounds like a gospel tape of my dad's truck. And it's almost like the Spirit of God says talk to him. Oh yeah that's right and so I start I start initiating conversation about that now this is the first spiritual conversation I've done I've ever started to have right. And I said Dad you listen to gospel music Well you know you had a dinner and I collect some songs on there you know he likes a song How Great Thou Art one song he likes or whatever and so we start talking a little bit about it and I start leading into when to sing. He has a whole minute. I don't talk about that and so then he said listen I don't want to go to heaven. So why would you say something like that he said you know who's going to be there. These people are going to be in heaven I don't want to be there. And I said that they're not going to be I don't talk about is drop it and so my dad tells me to drop it guess what I do. I drop it but I think I've got it now we had a special conversation. I want to get in next time. Next time I'm on you and I'm not giving up on that easy. So then I went back home and it was about is about a month later I get another phone call this time is from my mom your dad has dropped out of massive heart attack. Sorry. Anyway so she tells me that he did and I'm like Oh man another devastating call right. So I went to the funeral everything like that and I was devastated What do you do I get a second chance you know and then I read this text again think about this with me. Gina says I Would that you were only rape tried again. Scuse me. I know you works. You're neither cold or hot. I would be you were cold or hot so because you're lukewarm and either cold or hot you make me sick to my mouth I said I understand it you see people like my dad and his friends were out in the world and that's when they were living. They were lost. They were lost by themselves. People on fire for Christ trying to win people to Christ. That's what Jesus wants but he says the lukewarm people that try to be like these people and try to be like these people cause these people to be lost my friends think about this it's lukewarm have hearted hippie hypocritical Christians that calls me not to witness to my dad. And so God says you are because of your lukewarmness that makes me sick. Because you're calling people to be lost you're causing more of these people to be lost my friends because you're a hypocrite. He says the scribes and Pharisees and Jesus said this I said with tears in his eyes he would call them hypocrites with tears in his eyes because they were calling others my friends to be lost just to saying. It's one thing for you to be lost. It's one thing to be going on your own on the road to perdition It's one thing for you to be that way but it takes others with you is a terrible sin and the Bible teaches us here I believe that God's call to him at Lotus in church he looks down with the eye on missions. He looks down to that all eternity. He sees what we take in place and he says either be on fire for me or get out. What an appeal that is not my friends either live or James or leave imagine imagine being half in the church and have to have living for Jesus have to live in for Jesus and you lost anyway if you're going to be lost go go. But Jesus says I don't want you to be lost. I want you to be saved. I want you to be on fire. I want you to be hot and so he says because you're lukewarm you make me want to throw up and quite frankly my friends. Me too. I get so sick. I'm not without error. We make mistakes but to live and say I'm a Christian and live like the world leave. Better yet just repent because that's what Jesus says to do he says repent and turn to me Look at verse nineteen as many as I love rebuke and chasten be zealous therefore and repent. My friend is not too late to repent. If you have kids. That of the church because you are a jerk you can repent call them back. The Bible says a little bit of leaven level up the whole lot. I like in a pill over ten or leave. That's the appeal I have for us this morning they deliver Jesus get out and is pretty all differences. Let's pray Father in heaven. The sin of hypocrisy is rampant among us. Maybe none of us here. Maybe some of us here. Lord may it bever be any of us I pray that you'll forgive us of our hypocrisy for forgive us for a Laodicean ism forgive us for for just being so worldly. Lower brain our hearts our minds impress upon us Lord when we lead people astray when we've done wrong and may we Lord have the heart to ask for forgiveness. I ask for forgiveness even now where it at times I have led astray and I've given wrong. Examples of what a Christian should be like and God maybe have led people to turn away and I pray for all of us you'll forgive us and they will be on fire for you God have mercy on us we thank you for the hope of your soon coming and I pray that we many people there and it came to me one day because of the work you've done through each of us the little ones our young ones all be there as well Jesus. This media was brought to you by audio for years a website dedicated to spreading God's word through free sermon audio and much more if you would like to know more about how do you know you would like to listen to more sermons to visit W W W dot org.